OCTOBER TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

OCTOBER TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... When the crypt doors creak, and the tombstones quake, spooks come out for a singing wake. Happy haunts materialize and begin to vocalize...grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize... Every year during the Halloween season, the city of Recollé comes to life with plenty of fall activities for everyone. There's something to do in every district if one were to take a look. What will you do today? I. Family fun seems to be the theme today over in Tribunal Terrace. Several tables are set up and in a semi-circle near Recollé Square with stacks of pumpkins, carving tools, paint and anything else you may need to create your own jack o'lantern. Other stations are set up for face-painting and games to win mini-sized candy bars including a ring toss, bowling, and bobbing for apples. Be careful with the apples though. They like to wiggle and jiggle with their happy little faces staring up out of the water. ...so maybe apple-bobbing is for the brave at heart. Are you the artsy type to carve a beautiful pumpkin? Are you helping to run the games (or even cheating to get more candy)? It's time to relax and let your creativity flow. II. Pumpkin-carving not your speed? Never fear, horror is here. Over in Tisse there's plenty to do for those looking for a little more adventure. Several coffee shops have harvest specials made with pumpkin, maple, and pecan flavors. Over at Flix a monster movie marathon and costume contest are taking place (with a prize of two free passes for the best monster costumes.) But the highlight of this district is the annual haunted funhouse. Anyone daring enough will find the usual spooks and scares in a haunted house, jump scares and fog machines galore. But...the house certainly didn't look so big from the outside. How did you possibly get shuffled straight to the center? No worries. This hall of mirrors will guide you out safely...if the walls closing in don't crush you first. It's a race against time as the halls narrow, and if you're one of the lucky ones you'll escape and exit through the main doors. For those not quite so lucky, the walls will stop just inches from crushing you completely before the floor drops open and you find yourself on a slide, falling through the dark and tumbling into an underground room filled with plastic skeletons, rubber spiders and more. There must be a way out, right? Hopefully you aren't alone and you can navigate the lair with a friend or two. III. Meanwhile, the rest of the city's usual hustle and bustle continues. The shopping districts are busy, students wander the sidewalks after class, and that oddly-shaped ghost appears right in the middle of the crowd. Wait, what? You could have sworn that ghost wasn't there before. Maybe you don't even believe in ghosts. You may blink a few times to clear your vision, but the faint outline of the ghost remains as a few more of them pop up around the city. They won't speak, but they will cause some trouble for anyone who gets too close whether it's by playing pranks on passerbys, stealing items and running away, sitting on a person and applying a gravitational force so they can't move or other crafty, sneaky tactics. Are the ghosts messing with you? Or are you going to find a way to mess with the ghosts? IV. As the sun begins to set, a strange sort of fog rolls in. Several citizens of the city may not even think it's unusual and others seem to capitalize on the weather. The Churchhill Downs Stables are hosting their annual haunted hayrides through Recollé Woods as soon as the sun sets. There are plenty of carts and chocobos saddled up and ready to go. Once passengers are seated the chocobos begin to trot forward into the woods as a pre-recorded ghost tour of the city takes place. The stories range from silly ones about two ghost children who like to play hide and seek in these woods to scarier ones about a jilted lover chasing her husband off a cliff at the edge of ocean. For the most part they're a bit cheesy and in good fun, but something about this haunted ride seems a bit...off. Peering into the fog you may see something strange that follows you, be it a monster or a shadow or an object. You may hear things whispering your name and you may see your greatest fear manifest right out of the fog and chase your cart through the woods. Even worse, it seems to follow you right out of the woods and back into the city. No matter where you run or where you hide, the fears from the fog will track you down and they change for every single person in the city. Will you run or will you fight? You may wish to be careful since the creatures will fight back. BONUS. With only a few short weeks left until the end of October, Retrospec's Halloween Mode is in full swing and popping up on new users' devices. Retrospec users will find their application decked out in cheerful Halloween colors, and their userpics in a randomized (work safe) costume. However, there's always a trick to each treat and this time the seasonal mode can't be turned off for new users. Notifications chime with zombie groans, a rousing game of Candy Crush must be played and beaten before you can use your device again, and the new Trick or Treat function has a few upgrades. When a user enables this function, they will be met with the phrase "Trick or Treat?" Users who select "treat" will get one virtual candy! Yay! The catch though is that they will also find themselves in a costume representing that specific candy. Should a user pick "trick", however, they will find all sorts of harmless but unpleasant things happening to them including but not limited to pranks, being splashed by vehicles driving through puddles of water, being unable to speak in anything but rhymes and other such things. None of these effects last over ten minutes, but the game will show up periodically over and over again and even giving you the option to play the game with others. Welcome to the recolle test drive meme! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun! For current players, TDM threads will not count toward your Trick or Treat freebie! Additionally, please remember that TDM threads can only be used for bonus points, not regains. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Your October TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

Mordred (AU: Mattie Camlann) | Fate/Apocrypha

[faeblooded]

II

This? Is beyond lame.

[She had seen carnival funhouses a billion times. Heck, she had even 'added' to the affairs on her own a few times by adding her own jumpscares on unsuspecting friends when she was bored. But this set up in Tisse took the cake that year for corniness.

....On first glance, anyway.

Mattie started having second thoughts about her quick judgement when she realized where she was not long after she stepped inside-- and, when those walls started closing in--]

Oh shit. They better not be fucking around with us here!

IV

[Mattie was quick to ignore the proper tour once she jumped on the back of the hayride, hidden among the bales of hay so her flaxen hair and dark coat blended in with the shadows and the scenery-- for the suspected Chocobo Thief wasn't exactly allowed near the stables.

At least, not without supervision.

Once the recorded voice started droning on, Mattie started making up her own tour in hushed tones, only for those in the back within hearing range.]

That cute bed and breakfast we're passing there? 'Bout fifty years ago it was put together by a cute out of town couple looking to put down roots. They were good people with big hearts, and sometimes they wouldn't charge for the night if they saw someone in trouble. One morning, the neighbors found it on fire....

Wildcard

[Don't see a prompt you like? Make up your own! Plotting comment is here and you can find me on plurk at starkxravingxmad with further questions and plotting.]

IV

[storytelleroftime]

"And it turns out that the old couple? They had been secretly sacrificing their customers in a ritual to their dark god the ENTIRE TIME!!!! And in vengeance, one of the dying men tried to burn the place to the ground. It didn't work, of course, but the couple still perished. They say their spirits still haunt that bed and breakfast to this very day."

[Just, let her sneak in with you and commentate Mattie. Nothing to see here.]

Supergirl/Kara Zor-El | DC Super Hero Girls

[maidofmistakes]

[Workshop comment! Kara Lee is 15 or 16 and is an awkward, depressed girl who's been shuffled around the foster system after being abandoned as a child. She tries to stay positive, but she's just moved to Recollé and is always afraid of crossing somebody's lines.]

i.

[Maybe you're getting your face painted, checking out market stalls, or bobbing for bouncy face apples. Whatever you're doing, a ring-toss ring just sailed past your face. Wait, isn't the ring toss all the way over there?

A girl runs up from that direction, panting and terrified.]

Sorry...

ii-a.

[Kara shivers and shrinks behind you.]

Whoa... These rubber effects are kinda creepy, huh? Hey -- did that move? Please tell me that wall didn't move.

ii-b.

[Well, it's time to head over to the coffee shop after that little adventure. Kara's still shivering a little as she hangs back and looks nervously over the bakery case.]

Should I get something? It looks good, but I don't know... Oh! Sorry, am I in your way?

i

[thesettingsun]

It's okay, Kara, no big deal.

[Kara's always been a little clumsy, if the knee-scraping incident is anything to go by. She didn't even hit anything in the market stall he was looking at either, no harm done.]

Freya Crescent | Final Fantasy IX

[dragons_crescent]

1) Pumpkins -

Now then, yes, just like that, you're doing wonderful.

[A tall thin woman sits among a group of children as they cut up their pumpkins. Her shock of white hair and her long nose seem appropriate for the season, but it's just the rat mask turned to the side of her head that is the whole of her costume right now. But despite her stern looks this teacher is a gentle soul, and she guides her charges through their crafting task with a gentle voice.]

If any of you are having trouble let me know. [She cuts slowly at her own pumpkin, long fingers wrapped delicately around her knife. She's in no rush to finish since she's not here for herself.

Anyone is welcome to join in, but any troublemakers will be met with a stern look first and foremost.]

2) Haunted House -

[Perhaps it's her own fault this happened, but she has no time to dwell on it. The hall of mirrors was unsettling somehow, for reasons she couldn't quite place. She's always looked a little odd, and she's made the most of it in her life, but surrounded by so many images of herself she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was...

wrong?

She had been wondering if she truly saw herself with a tail in one of those reflections when she heard the walls shift. The thought was quickly forgotten and tossed aside as she began to run. She almost felt she could taste safety when the floor gave out, and though she leaped to save herself she wasn't sure it was enough. Would someone be there to catch her? Or perhaps would she find company in the pit below?]

4) Take Me For a Ride -

[Freya clutches her coat tighter as the cart trundles along the path. The chill of this fall snuck up on her this year and it feels all the sharper for it. At least the company she has with her helps to provide some heat but she still maintains about a foot of distance between herself and the other passenger. In fact she's been spending more time looking off into the woods as she listens to the stories than she has been talking to or even looking at her companion.

It's not until the end of a story of a woman discarding everything to follow a man only to learn he doesn't even know who she is that she finally speaks up.]

Hrmph. I've never liked such tales. Someone being such a fool for love...they only have themselves to blame.

[And then she hears it, a voice off in the distance calling her name, asking where she is. She turns violently, looking over her shoulder and back down the path as she tries to find the source.]

IV: WHYYY WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

[standalonehuman]

Togusa has grown very quiet while listening to the story, something akin to melancholy has settled onto his face. He was prepared for a horror story, but something more tragic has affected him deeper than he expected. A woman he doesn't know, but that he feels so deep a love for. But he knows Gentiana well, so why does he feel something for this story?

"I'd say it's the best thing to be a fool about. An old teacher of mine said we're all fools about something," Togusa comments lightly.

But then Freya is turning her head to listen. Togusa quiets, strains to hear what she is searching for. He lets a few moments pass before he asks, much softer, "Are you all right?"

Gentiana | Final Fantasy XV

[glacian]

I. ᴘᴜᴍᴘᴋɪɴ ᴄᴀʀᴠɪɴɢ

[Gentiana was never one for fall festivities, especially since they were traditionally family related affairs. Her little family dwindles even now with her dear father currently sick in the hospital. Her foster family done all they could to make Gentiana feel included to their home since she was a girl. She sometimes forget they're not truly blood. Ever since her mother passed years ago, Gentiana takes it upon herself to bring some holiday cheer to her father.

She's decent enough at arts and crafts to fold a dozen or so origami swans but pumpkin carving might not be her thing. With a bit too much effort on her part, she tries her best to carve a face into the side of this medium sized pumpkin only to wince when a splash of red hits the table.

A quiet gasp leaves her as she drops the knife. A thin bead of blood rests upon her finger briefly before trickling downward in thick rivulets. Gentiana moves quickly to reach for a tissue inside of her black leather purse but when she does, she pauses to watch as the blood travels down the grooves of her hands. It's so...unsettling. So surreal. Gentiana never suffered as much as a scrape in her life until now. Of course she has her fair share of emotional scars to bear but an actual wound?

She feels so vulnerable. It's an awful feeling, almost foreign to her. When did she become so...mortal? She chases away the thought quickly with the shake of her head.]

III. gнσѕтѕ

[She gasps once she caught something glowing from the corner of her eyes. It's been a long day for Gentiana, perhaps a bit too long thanks to her students being quite rowdier than usual as Halloween approaches. However, the professor couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy this season thanks to the sudden appearance of these ghoulish fiends along campus. While she's certain all of this must be some elaborate ruse, Gentiana isn't quite certain.]

There it is again. [She mutters to herself as she stalks closer.] But no one else...sees it?

[The specter before her looks something like a man but it's all transparent in a eerie hue of green. It looks like a giant head with grotesque features, a large pointy nose, angluar cheek bones and sharp pointy teeth. As she approaches, Gentiana realizes that the creature before her seems to be whispering something. She takes another step forward only to pause once the mumbles grow louder but the words aren't coherent.

The professor glances around briefly before reaching her hand towards the ghoul. Her fingers come closer and closer until suddenly, the ghost turns to her and snaps at her hand. The woman jumps a little in fright and quickly withdraws her hand.]

IV. ᴄᴀʀᴇᴇɴɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ

[It probably goes without saying that Halloween is her least favorite holiday. Why? Well, Gentiana simply don't appreciate all of the spooks and alleged "horrors" that come with it. She deems it as a silly affair, a rather childish one at bet. the woman could never understand why most people are fond of this dreadful holiday but she made her peace with this frustrating holiday years ago. Still, Gentiana finds it rather peculiar that people are so quick to celebrate it over more mundane holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Maybe it has something to do with wandering about in costume collecting candy. Whichever the case, it's something of a miracle to spot her volunteering her services at the Churchhill Downs Stables. While Gentiana dislikes "All Hallow's Eve" with every fiber of her being, she respects the outlandishness of this seasonal event. However, when this thick mist rolls in, Gentiana finds herself on edge.]

It's getting a tad dark. [She mentions to the others along the trail.] It would wise for us to---

[The woman trails off suddenly once a voice within the wind catches her attention. Gentiana glances behind her along the darkened path, her bright green eyes marred with uncertainty. The chocobos start to squawk in alarm and beat their wings but Gentiana remains deathly still.

Something's wrong here. She can feel it in her bones.]

V. ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

[want to do a different prompt? Just hit me up at glacian I really liked the user name, ok?]

V: Many Happy Returns

[standalonehuman]

Today is slightly awkward for Togusa. This month has been harrowing, and even the past week alone has been the most intense of Togusa's career. But it's his birthday. He didn't tell a soul, he thought he's kept it under wraps, but people who have known him longer might still remember even through the chaos. He didn't want to make a big deal, just wanted to let the day pass quietly, with one exception: Gentiana.

Togusa had made a lunch not-date-because-these-aren't-dates with her and no matter what, he was going to keep it. He still feels conflicted when it comes to Gentiana, but the conflict is settling down the more he talks with her. Whatever it had almost been between them, it had vanished when she had left the Retrospec app. And Togusa hadn't known what to do for weeks. It took significant urging to get him to even call her again, try to reconnect, and then he was doing his damndest to make sure that things stayed casual. That he didn't expect too much.

Togusa still appreciates all that Gentiana is, so that he can appreciate the friendship that they are cultivating. But then things slip in, like seeing her in a dream, or thinking he saw her in the fog. He has to believe that he is approaching this the right way.

The smile that appears on Togusa's face when he sees Gentiana in the University coffee shop is genuine, like the horror of the last week can be left behind him for a few hours. It shows on his face that he still greatly enjoys her company, despite everything.

Charlotte | Fire Emblem: Fates

[axefaire]

I-A;

[Ah yes, fall. The perfect time for Charlotte to nearly freeze in her absolutely adorable outfit! She's helping run one of the stands, dressed up as a cute (and totally sexy) witch, complete with oversized hat. She'll call out to anyone walking by with a cheerful tone.]

Hello there! Care for a game? You can win candy if you've got a nice, strong throwing arm!

[It's one of those ring toss games, so it's not like you need a strong throwing arm, but she's trying to bait some customers and compliments always work, right? Right.]

I-B;

[Charlotte's actually a pretty big fan of Halloween, both for the cute costumes and the chance to stab a pumpkin with a knife and call it art. It's not often she gets to let out her more aggressive side, but today she can be found stabbing a pumpkin gleefully as she works on her carving. It's uh. Well, the best thing that can be said about it is that she's enthusiastic? She's definitely not going to be winning any awards for her pumpkin's face, but she's definitely going at it without a care in the world. Come make fun of her pumpkin-carving skills or give her some advice. Maybe tell her that she doesn't have to use the biggest knife here? Oh my god, someone make this woman stop.]

II;

[The best way to pick up guys is to act like you're a damsel in distress. What better way to do that than with a haunted house? Charlotte is here for this and she's going to find herself a boyfriend.

If you're a man, she'll be jumping at the first jump scare and letting out a small, dainty yelp. How can a yelp be dainty? Don't ask questions, she's been perfecting this for months.]

O-Oh dear, I didn't expect that! Silly me, it was just a spider on a string, haha... Oh, but I'm beginning to regret this... Will you come with me, please?

[She'll even bat her eyelashes!! Surely that will get you to assist her here!

If you're a woman or a kid Charlotte will just laugh at the jump scares. She seems completely at ease here and she might even turn to you with a grin on her face.]

Isn't this fun?

BONUS;

[You can find Charlotte just about anywhere, where she's very focused on her phone. It looks like whatever she's doing must be incredibly important... until you get close enough. You can hear her humming the tune from Candy Crush as she plays and uh... she seems to be absolutely nailing it? Wow. After a moment the phone unlocks and Charlotte huffs.]

Just when I was starting to have fun...

WILDCARD;

[If you'd like another prompt, just let me know! You can hit me up on plurk at pokerap or you can take a look at Charlotte's workshop comment if there's something you'd like to plot with her! For prompt II, Charlotte can absolutely mistake your character for a man/woman/child if you'd prefer to answer one prompt over the other!]

ii

[unenvied]

[Bruno has the expression of someone who has no idea how to deal with women. This would be because, in fact, he has no idea how to deal with women.]

... Huh? [a beat] I-I'm not sure if my presence would help...

Zack Fair | Final Fantasy VII

[activatingcombatmode]

[one]

[One might notice some tall fellow bent over one of those large bins full of freezing cold water with their head completely submerged. Wait a while and try not to feel too concerned when that head of black hair doesn’t come up for air any time soon…

Because eventually it happens and Zack pulls back out of the bucket of water with a loud growl and a fruit clasped tightly in his teeth—

That’s screaming and laughing.]

Aaarrrghh!!

[two]

[Alright, haunted houses aren’t so bad. The maze isn’t even that bad. He likes to think that he’s got a thick enough skin for all of this and that a bunch of plastic skeletons or spiders and kids in crappy masks are no big deal for someone as put together as he is.

Unfortunately all the bravery in the world doesn’t stop the (not so) manly scream that comes from his mouth as he slams into a mirror wall and someone in a costume jumps out and shouts at him. Are you there to witness this?]

Boy- That smarts!! How the hell do you get out of here?!

[three]

[Zack blinks a few times as he stares at what appears to be some strange person in a weird ghost costume. Or is it a costume? Either way, the ghost thing seems to be staring right back at Zack with a very disturbing grin on its face.

Zack reaches a hand up to run through his dark hair.] Do you see that? Or is it just me?

[He frowns as the ghost seems to mimic his exact movement, a weird gangly ghost arm coming to rub its hand over its head as Zack had. Creepy.]

[four]

[Zack whips his head around as he hears a familiar voice murmur his name softly from somewhere out in the hazy fog. It leaves a chill going up his spine and he gets uncharacteristically quiet.

He hears the voice again and he frowns deeply. It’s a soft female voice that sounds too familiar. Confused, he keeps trying to peer around the fog to catch a glimpse of what might be trying to trick him.]

They sure take Halloween seriously around here...

ii

[compendiem]

[ Haunted houses are pretty fun, Minato supposes, but he walks through it with a persistent feeling of disengagement, a second too late to react to anything that pops out at him and only cued in that something happened because he heard somebody else scream. A hall of mirrors, though, provides self-made scare unreliant on others, where he can go through it at his own pace... until his way is blocked by a hundred Zacks that fill the mirrors in the maze.

Note to self: that direction is no good, choose another. ]

It's less confusing if you look at the ground instead of the mirrors.

[ It also takes all the fun out of the experience, but. ]

Eizen (Isaac McKinstry) | Tales of Berseria

[coinflipped]

i

[He’s not exactly sure why he’s here, but he is… trying to have fun. He could have his shop open, but even he needs a break now and again (especially from crazy shop neighbors). So here he is attempting ‘ring toss’, but seemingly just miss every time. As a result, the expression on Isaac’s face gets more and more upset…

…before he ragequits and leaves. Stupid game.]

iii

[You know what? Ghosts in his pawn shop are probably normal given the damned superstitions people have about the place. Maybe it will add some flair to his shop and people will finally come by. Or, like usual, it will keep the normal people away and bring in the odd ducks. Whatever brings the money in, he supposes.

His shop is all high end pawn stuff, but there’s some odd shit in there, too. Things that Isaac finds fascinating from other cultures. Things that look like things of superstition which he fails to grasp that’s exactly why people think his pawn shop is a cursed shop in the first place. Well, people just don’t understand…

…or so he’d like to think.]

BONUS

[He picked trick just because it seemed fun, and almost immediately a car comes by, splashing water on him from a puddle it had driven through.]

I figured I was cursed, but not this badly.

[Whatever, he’ll continue on with his day as if no big deal and pocket his phone.]

WILDCARD

[Hit me up at aidios if you want to do something else!]

bonus

[promisedyou]

I don't think it's some sort of curse, [ Mio replies rather nonchalantly, as she's overheard him speaking aloud to himself. ] At least... you didn't happen to play some sort of new phone application recently, have you?

Cheria Barnes (Charity Barnes) | Tales of Graces

[putabowonit]

I. Peer Pressure Challenge: Have a Good Time (Pumpkin Carving)

[Charity drums her fingers absent-mindedly agianst the exterior of a small pumpking, ticking off mental check boxes in an insatiable to-do-list. Things seemed to be... actually pretty quiet right now. They helped that little girl get the pumpking off her head (her brother was so rude), supplies were well stocked (thank god they found some last mintue scooping implements), and people were having a good time. The voulenteers had spread out among the families carving their pumpkins, and there was actually... a quiet moment?

She smiles and gives a sigh of relief. Now what to do? As her eyes scan the crowd, they settle upon your character. They could be watching the pumpkin-carving proceedings with interest, or just standing around looking bored. Either way, she picks up a pumpkin and set of tools from the supply table, and makes her way over to you.]

Can I interest you in carving a pumpkin? It'll be fun [she pauses, unsure if you're taking the bait. So she also throws in] And it's for a good cause? [she holds up the pumpkin so that it's directly in your line of sight. So... will you take her up on the offer? :3]


II. Thriiiiiilaaaaaaaaah (Haunted House)

[All you hear is embarrassing shrieking. You probably dropped into this pit just a second ago yourself, but above you, you hear the distinctive sound of a young woman screeeeeeaaaaaaaming her head off as she plummets through the chute. She falls in a graceless heap into the pile of pastic skeletons, and then immediately attempts to scramble as if she's worried she'll drown.

Eventually she sits up properly, and it seems to dawn on her that she's deffinitely not dying. As she looks around the room her eyes eventually settle on you. She reaches up and makes a vague hand motion as if she's about to tidy up her hair, but instead she leans forward and starts to crawl towards you (as if she doesn't quite trust her own legs)]

A-Are you okay? What the heck just happened? Are you hurt? [the questions tumble out like a stream of conciousness, if you don't stop her she might nervously babble for the rest of eternity]


III. So very spooky.... (Ghosts In The Street)

[A very sleepy looking Charity comes ambling out of the hospital. She covers her mouth as she yawns, and stretches a bit as she pulls out her phone. She moves to the side of the sidewalk out of everyone's way as she fires off a few text messages. Shivering, she puts her phone in her pocket and tightens her scarf for better coverage.

However, as she looks up and gets ready to walk forward.... She's faced with Sir Ghostlington, grinning eerily inches from her face. Yelping audibally, she jumps to the side-- right into your character! Still in panic-mode she grabs onto your characters arm and stammers]

W-What is that? [but as she asks the question, the ghost fades away. Of course, this prompts her to look around... but the ghost is no where to be seen. Looking over at your character, mouth agape. Oh yeah, and she's still holding onto your character's arm. Yes, she doesn't realize that she's doing that, and yes she's going to be super embarrassed when she collects her wits about her]

III

[lingeringwill]

Char...ity...? [Blinkblinkblink. Oh, she's certainly holding onto his arm after a bout of slight screaming. Before he even further acknowledges her, he turns his attention to their surroundings. It wasn't the most unusual thing to happen. In fact, it wasn't unusual at all. The only thing unusual about it was who it happened to. There's... no way, right?]

Are you...okay? [He pokes his finger into her shoulder with the arm she's not latched onto.]

Mammon of Greed (au: manon) | Umineko

[wantnotneed]

I - an apple a day

[ Manon has been going around playing the games everywhere, but stops when she sees the apple bobbing game. She knows how the game works, but she makes a face because there's an unpleasant thought that pops into her mind. ]

If they bite my face, who should I sue?

[ She's only half serious. ]


II - a literal jumpscare

[ After being tired of playing the games outside, she decides to play a little prank. She made it out of the crushing walls already, but she's standing at the end, away from view. When she hears sounds of panic and rushed footsteps, she jumps out of her hiding place in an attempt to startle the other person when they are finally safe from the crushing walls. You are never safe in here. ]

Boo!


III - getting back at the ghosts

Hey! I paid for that!

[ She yells as she's chasing a strange looking ghost that looks like it's holding one of her high heeled shoes. Manon seems to be chasing after it well enough through the streets, despite only wearing one half of a pair of heels. She ends up throwing a koala-shaped paperweight at it, though she knows that it won't shatter if it falls somewhere else.

Help her? Sit back and watch? Or maybe she missed the ghost and the paperweight is going to hit you instead. ]


wildcard

[ Make up a prompt if you want! Here is her workshop link. Hit me up with anything you want to discuss by PM, commenting on the workshop link, or at factious. ]

i.

[grumpei]

[ Looking at the apples with faces... and then looking back at Manon. ]

...Do they even have teeth?

[ This is a serious question. How do apples with faces work? And if they do have teeth, how do you eat them, assuming they're still edible? ]

Shinji Matou | Fate/Extra

[spirithacker]

[ii]

[Ring toss? Bobbing for apples? Those are for babies. Shinji's a very mature eight-year-old and he can totally handle whatever a haunted house throws at him.

Someone should probably have stopped him from going in, but whatever, he's here now. The fog machines don't get more than a shiver, but once he's inside the hall of mirrors...]

The walls aren't actually moving, it's an optical illusion.

[...he says that, but the next time the walls close in on them, he ends up clinging to whoever's ended up in here with him. Sorry about your new elementary student attachment.]

[bonus]
u fail @ basic internet safety
real names + real pictures + on my phone out of nowhere = creeper alert

also it didn't keep my progress @ candy crush, lame

[wildcard]
[idk, what do you want with this small child]

ii

[compendiem]

[ The walls aren't moving, huh. Minato begs to differ, but optical illusion or not, the logical thing to do here is to turn right back around, against the traffic flow through the haunted house. Only when he turns and walks, it's with several extra kilos attached to his arm, and it's hard to go anywhere like that.

The walls are closing in slow enough that they could still possibly get through the maze in time, so Minato tugs on Shinji's sleeve to get him to look up at him. ]

Help me cheat?

Regene Regetta | Gundam 00

[fratropathic]

((workshop comment is here - feel free to comment or pm for plotting if anything catches your attention!))

I - Face painting, Sephora style

[That's right: one of the face painters is actually doing full faces of makeup, complete with highlighting and contouring, which explains the handful of people walking around with glamorous but also slightly airbrushed-looking faces. Ren can also do themes and costume makeup, of course, but no simple tiger stripes or cheek butterflies for him. No sir.

At the moment, he's got one client (getting a simple and striking makeup mask) and one bystander watching closely. To the client seated in front of him, he says:]

No, of course it's no problem if you keep flinching - just as long as you don't mind wearing your false eyelashes as lipstick. You can call it avant garde.

[To the bystander:] Are you next? I'll give you a discount on whatever design you like if you know how to sit still.

II - The God of whine

[There are few things in life more embarrassing than being dropped in some sort of dungeon full of cheap, ugly Halloween decorations whilst wearing a Bacchus costume that means a) your shitty sandals cause you to lose your footing and land on your ass at the bottom of the slide, and b) you definitely flashed everyone else in here when you did it, but...

... there's no but. This is just the most embarrassing thing that's happened to Ren in quite awhile. He smooths the bottom of his costume back down with all the decorum he can muster, adjusts his grape headdress, and lifts his eyes disdainfully to whoever might have seen him crash land.]

Don't pretend that didn't give you a thrill.

Wildcard!

[Ren could be at any of the events, stalls, etc looking rather bored because he's been to every Recolle seasonal event since he was born - influential families need to be seen as involved in their community, after all. I'm good with whatever!]

ii.

[wantnotneed]

[ Manon just shoots him A Look when he says that while she's holding a plastic bone, part of the cheap Halloween decoration here. She's not wearing a costume of any kind--just her casual clothes with heels. ]

The most thrill I got was getting startled from you suddenly falling.

[ With a flat voice and all. ]

Didn't sprain an ankle, did you?

Junpei Tenmyouji | Zero Escape

[grumpei]

i.

[ Junpei is not the most artistic person in the world, so for his Jack O'Lantern, he's trying to go for something easy. And since pumpkins are basically almost round, and there's plenty of paint around, he figures a soccer ball is as good an idea as any.

...Never mind that it doesn't involve any actual carving, so it's missing the lantern part. Don't burst his bubble, okay? ]

ii.

[ Two free passes for some silly monster movies isn't a bad prize, so Junpei figures he might as well enter the monster contest today. The only problem is that he doesn't really have a monster costume per se. The closest thing he has is an old T-rex outfit that still fits, but that might not meet the criteria on its own...

So he'll show up with his modified T-rex costume, complete with pool noodles taped on to provide random "tentacles" and cardboard horns on the head. Basically, it looks like he went through his garage and threw on anything he could think of... which is probably true. But the way he sees it, that's enough. ]

Hey, this totally counts as a monster costume! If nothing else, it's a monstrosity...

bonus.

im kind of tired of ppl celebrating holidays so early
halloween is weeks away
ask me to trick or treat then

also of all the holidays y halloween?
at least xmas i understand why ppl get excited

wildcard.

[ Feel free to suggest your own prompt or contact me at seasidekingdom if you'd like to do something else! His workshop comment is over here, for reference or additional plotting. ]

Bonus

[blind_badass]

I have found it a little strange that the town is overly excited for Halloween. I understand people getting creative for it, but usually not the town itself. Except to set up times for trick-or-treating for small children.

yuisis ( iris vasiliev ) | granblue fantasy

[direr]

i. ( a )

[ Iris has her hair tied back with an obvious look of determination on her features. Honestly she looks like she's preparing for a fight more than she is bobbing for apples, which apparently has been a feature that's caught several eyes but not many have partaken in because of the faces happily wiggling around in the water. ]

Alright, I'm ready!

[ She grabs the edge of the barrel with both hands and leans down, creeping closer to the water and focusing her attention on one lone apple. Slowly opening her mouth as she makes contact with the water and— ] Uh!? [ Her breath catches in the back of her throat, lifting up hard and fast enough that it's a surprise that she doesn't experience some whiplash. ] What the heck? Kissing ain't allowed, scum!

[ That's right. The apple kissed her. Or she thinks it kissed her. Either way she's forgetting all about the game and scooping the piece of fruit out of the water before chucking it across the field...

And hitting your character over the head. Oops. ]

i. ( b )

I saw you cheatin', no reason for you to go on and keep lying.

[ Somewhere around the ring toss Iris is standing straight in front of an individual well above her height. In fact he's towering over her, gawking at her righteous attitude straight to her face that's met with nothing more than a scoff. Even as another man, presumably his friend, appears from the fallen pins. ] You think I'm a joke when you're the one foolin' around kids games for candy? I'd be more embarrassed if I spent all the allowance my mama gave me and had to stoop this low.

[ And in a split second the man snaps, throwing a punch in her direction. Iris is quick however and promptly grabs his arm, using the momentum of his hit by giving him her back and tossing him right over her shoulder. Back landing hard against the wooden stand.

No one should have let her run anything in the area. ] Cool~ Now go ahead and go home. Thieves ain't welcomed here! [ It's said as the man stands up, his friend assisting him, and he limps away. Dusting off her hands she places her hands to her hips and turns to the next potential guest. ] Ah, sorry, so it's gonna be a second before I set up the next game for you. Mind waiting for a little bit?

ii.

[ So. Funhouses. This is the first she's ever been in one with closing walls and disappearing floors, much to her displeasure, and when she's met another surface she finds herself sprawled out on top of a skeleton. Lifting up her head she huffs out a breath of air, her bangs lifting off of her forehead briefly as her brows knit and she slowly lifts herself back onto her feet. ]

Hey, you're not dead are you?

wildcard.

( feel free to throw whatever at me! of course if you'd like to discuss anything feel free to pm me or comment on my workshop comment for iris! )

i.

[wantnotneed]

[ That was quite a throw, because Manon certainly felt it when it hit the back of her head. Honestly, she thought that was going to go blind for a moment there. Thankfully(?), she isn't knocked out, although the pain makes her wish she was out cold right now. She puts a hand to the back of her head, holding back any pained noises and turns around to see who threw it.

... ]

Iris...?

[ Her head hurts so much right now. ]

Natalie Nelson/Natasha Romanoff | MCU | Student

[bozhemoi]

(ooc: workshop post)

i. facepainting

[ If it was going to involve painting, you could be sure that Natalie was going to take part. She was enjoying herself as she painted the faces of children, but she wasn't going to argue if anyone older wanted some spooky artwork. Her own face had black cats and bats going down the side of it.

Natalie finished up another child, this time one that had wanted to look like a Jack-O-Lantern and turned to her next victim customer. ] Any special requests, or are you happy to be surprised?



ii. coffee shop/movie marathon

[ After partaking in everything artistic and Halloween related, Natalie needed a caffeine fix. She chose to blame her brother and growing up in New York for her addiction to coffee. That, and when it was this time of year if it wasn't pumpkin spiced, was it really worth drinking? She lined up to order, eyes a little glazed over as she went back over in her mind her latest painting and what changes she wanted to make as soon as she was done here. She hadn't noticed that the line had moved until the person behind her bumped into her and she was jolted out of her daydream. ]

Oops, sorry. Totally in my own world. [ She offered up an apologetic smile and quickly moved forward.

After she finally ordered and collected her drink she vacated the cafe and wondered over to look at all the posters for the movie marathon. The didn't seem particularly scary, if anything it could be funny, but sometimes it was hard to tell. ]


wildcard.

if there's anything else you want to tackle with Nat just hit me up. kindofabigdeal or pm.

ii

[frostythehitman]

[ Bucky is in a sour mood. He's been in a sour mood all month. So when he bumps into her, he truly has no patience. ]

How's about sticking around in this one enough to keep the line moving, huh?

[ She looked familiar though. As he steps forward to the cashier and places his own order, he wracks his brain. Where does he know her from? Someone in one of his classes? Retrospec? Another brat on base? It takes him a few moments, but once he gets it, he whips his head back at her. ]

Wait--Natalie?

Sion Astal | Legend of Legendary Heroes

[sunderings]

( workshop post is here! hmu if you'd like to work out pre-existing cr!! )

I.

[ Several crates of pumpkins and a travel-bag of carving tools; a sizable stash of candy-bar winnings and a bin of discount Halloween costumes, beg but a single question: just what could their grand overseer—one, Sion Astal, self-proclaimed Lord of Allhallows—be up to? For the time being, he seems rather lost in thought, his chin at elegant rest upon the curl of his fingers as he considers the amassed supplies in quiet assessment and survey before...! The wind picks up, tousling the long fall of his hair, so too drawing his attention to an onlooker: ]

You there! [ —he greets with the flash of a smile; a wave of his hand. ] May I trouble you for your opinion?

[ And then he gives pause, if only to accommodate a grand, sweeping gesture toward his hoard of all things autumnal and festive. ]

Among these things, what might be missing? [ Humming in idle thought, Sion moves forward, then, to pick up one of the heavier crates of pumpkins, intent upon loading in into the trunk of a nearby vehicle. ] I do not wish to disappoint the children at the hospital. If they cannot attend the festivities, they should have the festivities brought to them.

[ And he should hate to have forgotten something..! ]


II.

[ You're falling.

You're falling in the wake of a narrow escape, the mirrored walls of the haunted house turned to vices before the very floor beneath you gave way. But where one door should close, another is always destined to open, and rather suddenly...!

You've stopped falling, and you now find yourself caught and held fast in someone's arms. The very same someone who'd fallen into the trapdoor alongside you. And ah, he's almost gallant, isn't he—he supports you with ease, one arm at your back, and the other beneath the bend of your knees, blinking down at you curiously with a flutter of outrageously long lashes.

With honeyed brown eyes and blond hair, this person is--... ]

Ah— Are you all right?

[ ...a university student (you might recognize him), a volunteer at the hospital (he's great with kids!), and a student-teacher at the high school (this guy is everywhere?!).

Notably, your rescuer is completely unruffled by the fall—as much is evident in the seamless way he (Sion) returns you to your feet. ]

...it seems we've unlocked a secret room in the haunted house. ☆

[ Oh... oh no.... he's enjoying this?! ]


IV.

[ It follows.

Looming behind him first as a shade, a shadow of a thought, then as something wholly manifest and tangible, it had followed him, no longer a novelty borne of a haunted hayride enjoyed with good friends and companions, but a danger which posed a threat not only to himself, but to others.

And so: Sion does not run as disembodied footsteps echo behind him upon the street; he does not startle when whispers of his name prompt him to. Instead--... ]

As though I would let you continue to do as you please! You frighten no one--

[ ...he turns sharply upon his heel, ready to combat whatever so happened to linger at an arm's reach behind him, but...

He stalls, the color draining from his face when he realizes it is no simple haunt, no specter which has followed him all this while. Rather, it is only a man, someone who so starkly resembles Sion himself that it is as though he's returned to the mirrored halls of the haunted house at the Tribunal Terrace. ]

...father?

[ There is no time for Sion to react as it—the creature which took the face of the person he feared most—shifts in form, becoming shadowed once more as it lurches forward, using its momentum to propel Sion back, into the siding of a corner-store business. There is an audible crack! when the back of Sion's head connects sharply with the wall behind him, then...!!

Alarmingly, there is nothing. No sound. No signs of struggle. Is Sion all right? Do you dare investigate the scene...? ]

iv

[compendiem]

[ It hasn't even been 24 hours since the tdm went up and already there's been a murder. Minato is the lucky employee who was sent out of the coffee shop to investigate what happened, pulling his sleeves down when he exits into the cold night air, and then pushing them back up when he sees a body lying there by the building.

He drops to his knees immediately, cpr training coming back to him, and shakes Sion's shoulder— rougher than he would usually, voice louder than it is usually. ]

Hey. Are you okay?

[ A hand on Sion's wrist to check for a pulse, eyes on his chest to check for breathing. Hey, guy, are you alive? ]

minato arisato | persona 3

[compendiem]

ii.
[ The haunted funhouse was a mistake... With so many people inside, the screaming ahead of him gives the jumpscares away, and Minato only looks mildly disappointed at the fake rubber spiders and bats and snakes, stalling the line every time he sees them so he can look closer.

He barely gets through half the building like this when he gives up, plugs his ears with earbuds, and finds somewhere to sit, nestled in the darkness in front of some heavy velvet sheets next to a pile of skeletons and zombies and looking very much like one of the props because he predictably falls right asleep. Brow furrowed upon closer look, he seems to be caught in a bad dream, and every once in a while he kicks out in his sleep— possibly catching you on the foot, or simply in the way and tripping you on your way through the haunted house. Or maybe, miraculously, nobody wakes him up until closing, whereupon you're one of the actors who finally gets to breathe and start taking off their costumes and shrieks at this guy passed out on the floor. ]

iii.
[ Ghosts are a hundred times more tiring than people, and Minato looks simply exhausted as he heads to work today. He drops his stuff off at the vet's office, and then heads next door to the senior dog sanctuary where he's in charge of some volunteers helping around today. And he's going to need the help, because as hard as he tries to pretend the ghosts don't exist, animals always have a sense for these things, and the incessant barking is driving a nail into the back of his skull.

He pops two painkillers and hands the closest volunteer a broom, nodding his head towards the front door. The ghosts haven't made their way inside the building yet; our job today is to hold the fort and keep the ghosts out. Defend the dogs with your life. ]

iv.a
[ He'd picked up a late shift at the coffee shop, Expressive, this night, wiping down the tables when there aren't customers and brewing drinks when there are (though it's almost midnight... why are you drinking coffee so close to midnight...). Once in a while, somebody comes in and mills around the door, nervous glances out the windows as if waiting for something to pass through with the thickening fog. That's alright, and they can stay, maybe keep Minato company and warn him what's out there before he has to close up for the night and head out himself. ]
iv.b.
[ After work, it's earbuds in his ears, hands in his pockets, eyes to the ground as he leaves the shop. A perfect mugging victim, if he weren't surrounded by a low, steady beeping that follows him as he walks through the fog, warning of a Fear that he cannot hear with his ears covered, but you can. ]
iv.c.
[ If he makes it out safely, it's not home that he heads to right away, but the shrine over at Tribunal Terrace. He tips in some coins at the offertory box, mumbles a quick prayer under his breath, and then sits with his back against the box. He gets a thermos out. It's him. He's the one drinking coffee so close to midnight. ]

wildcard
[ Feel free to shoot him a text, write up anything discussed in the workshop, make up anything dated any time during the month, or throw me a blank comment and I'll write up a starter! For reference, here is Minato on the workshop. ]

ii

[servileness]

[ Clover's not really a haunted funhouse kind of person, but she feels it's only right to try and appreciate—well, not appreciate but at least respect the hard work put into it. As she walks through, her senses tell her that something is off, outside of the obvious fakeness of the decor. Maybe like... something doesn't fit in or shouldn't be fitting in.

She sees it—or more specifically him. ]

Minato! Why did you fall asleep here, of all places? At least get through the funhouse first. Wake up!

Sanji | One Piece

[concasse]

[ooc: Workshop comment is here, feel free to hit me up if you want something pre-established! Get in touch with me at ignitible]

i.

[Recollé U has some of the shittiest assignments this side of the Western Hemisphere. That's the only reason Sanji is has deigned to be here, running a bobbing for apples booth with all the interest of a library volunteer. He keeps his feet elevated and crossed on a chair he stole from the pumpkin carving tables, though if a kid approaches, he switches on a smile and straightens a little bit, gesturing to the side.]

Oi, go on. Try as many times as you want. Though, uh-- [With the hint of a smirk] -- maybe close your eyes so they don't stare at ya, eh? Don't wanna break your concentration.

[Lord help you if you're an adult, however -- at which point Sanji doesn't even move from his spot and simply stares dead-eyed at his customer.] Tch, how old are you?

[Delightful]

ii.

[Haunted houses aren't exactly Sanji's wheelhouse, but a challenge? Sure, if there's a point to be made. Some poor fool bet money he'd piss his pants within an hour, and so Sanji wanders in the artificial darkness, posture relaxed despite how his senses remain on alert. Old habits die hard and all. Plus he's not here to have fun.

Or make friends.]

Don't bother moving out of the way, those shitty walls probably have sensors on 'em. [Casually ruining the atmosphere, it's this guy, with a French accent bleeding through] You wanna know how many people would sue if their kids got caught?

[He blows out a cloud of smoke in contempt and wanders forward, casually tapping the moving wall with his foot.] A kindergarten class could do better, shit.

iii.

[Alright. What in the actual fuck was that.

Sanji doesn't spook easily - couldn't afford to as a kid, alright? - but there's a pecking order to the universe, and shit that magically appears in front of you before vanishing with a cackle doesn't inspire much confidence today. He stops where the crosswalk meets the road and gives a violent shiver, nose scrunching up]

Am I catching something...?

[Mm, maybe so. Or maybe there's now a phantom hand grabbing the cigarette jutted from his mouth. Abruptly, Sanji's fear turns to stone-cold fury]

The hell!? You shitty-ass spector, that was my last one!

ii makes up bullshit as to why they're there WHATEVER

[stopbleeding]

[by pure coincidence, zoro is stuck in this narrow mirrored hallway with the apparent roger egbert of haunted houses. he watches, completely unimpressed, as the horror snob narrates the tricks as if they weren't already completely obvious. the outside of the damn building looked like a middle schooler's attempt at a mural. what did he expect walking in?

it'd only been five minutes trailing after the guy and zoro was already fed up with both his unwanted guide and the building itself. he was bored, the walls were narrowing and that fucking french accent was getting on his last nerve.

that's when he sees it: the light at the end of the tunnel. or, more specifically, the trapdoor that would lead into the tunnel. no doubt mr. ~*vigilant*~ has seen it too but

well.

zoro bets he didn't expect someone to kick him into the trap from behind.]

Whoops.

[he says, not even trying to mask that his kick to the back was absolutely not a "whoops".]

four (au: clover geteilt ) | drakengard 3

[servileness]

i. the apple of some eye

[ Clover is helping running a couple booths. She's currently helping people bob for apples, offering hair ties for anyone with longer hair. ]

Would you like to give it a try? Apples are healthier than candy, and did you know? Superstition says that if you sleep with the apple you bobbed, you'll dream of your future love. It's unhygienic, but isn't it a sweet dream?

iii. ghostbusting

Halt! Thief! Put that back at once, you miscreant!

[ Clover points, indignant and righteous, at some ghost shoplifting from an outside stand (a book, a pair of shoes, fruit, plants, anything). Any misgivings or trepidation at the ghost's sudden appearance pales in comparison to the pursuit of justice.

Someone tell her you can't reason with a ghost because she's chasing after the runaway spirit. ]

Return right this instant, or I'll call an exorcist on you! Don't think I won't! Get back here, you jerk!

bonus. wild card

[ I TRIED TO RHYME BUT FAILED, but hit me with anything! Her workshop comment is here for reference or if you'd like to plot anything! ]

iii. let's bust some ghosts

[judgementkazzy]

Hey, stop!

[ A shoplifting ghost, eh? Kaz isn't exactly used to ghosts himself, but they're easier to deal with than other crazy stuff so you know, why not? If the ghost is corporeal enough to steal, it's corporeal enough to tackle.

Which Kiryu does. The ghost merely tries to wiggle free. ]

Put that back.

Leaks ~ Lamento -Beyond the Void-

[ascatic]

[ workshop comment is here.

37 year old not-cat named Leon, owner of a tea bar/cafe called The Tea Kittle. ]

---

I.) commence the jiggling

[ he's hovering above the bucket full of water and toothy-grinned, wiggling apples with a thoughtful look. one hand covers his mouth with his palm resting on his chin while the other stays fixed to his waist. honestly, he has no idea what he's looking at, and he's kind of uncomfortable with how they leer up at him. if anyone could find something sinister in fruit, it's probably him, and he looks around hoping to catch someone's attention. ]

Hou... [ a thoughtful hum in an open noise rather than something closed and pursed. ] ... is this supposed to be spooky? Scary? They're more odd than anything else, don't you think?

[ and then he adjusts the thing that looks like braided rope around his neck with a nervous smile. ]


II.) haunted house

[ mirrors. so many mirrors. it has him spinning in place, staring at each angle with wide-eyed curiosity and a slight frown. the thumping of his heart is stuck in his ears, increasing slowly in his chest, and after the third or fourth rotation, he exhales slowly before taking a few steps toward what he THINKS is a way out... ]

Ah...!

[ a surprised gasp, as he bumps into one of those reflective surfaces, and with a bright pink stain on his cheeks, he desperately hopes no one saw him being... a dumb... ]


III.) i, too, have no shame

[ clearly, there's nothing more Halloween-ish than wearing some kind of costume, right? so before leaving his shop and closing it early, he's made sure to look as festive as possible--- black plastic cat ears on a hairband and one long faux-furry tail affixed and hooked on his belt. but before he goes any further, he turns to look at his reflection in his large, windowed storefront. ]

Ha, I really look the part!

[ it's all the black he's wearing with it, but upon seeing someone or hearing someone, he immediately turns and laughs. ]

This is when I go 'meow', right?

[ he has no shame. for now, at least. ]

i!

[surprising]

[ rindou takes another a look at the wiggling, jiggling apples in the water bucket, but considering the fact that retrospec made dancing lemons a Thing for a while, well... it doesn't come across as entirely unusual to him. in fact, they're kind of cute? ]

I think they're encouraging you to catch them. I mean, look — they're smiling!

rideaux (redžo rugievit) | tales of xillia 2

[windowdressing]

[ workshop comment! still happy to brainstorm on potential cr stuff. for the record, he looks mostly the same/still bleaches parts of his hair, he just has brown eyes instead of gold. ]

i.

[ It's been something like fifteen years since he's carved a pumpkin, and two minutes into this endeavor, he remembers exactly why it's not something he ever does.

Jesus, this is disgusting. And pumpkin guts aside, as much as he prides himself on his talent for design, he's not actually that great at drawing, let alone anything like this that involves patiently carving details. So this elaborate thorny rose thing he's picturing in his mind is very much not happening, and he ends up just haphazardly and aggressively etching in a bunch of twisted trees in frustration instead.

Look, he's not a fucking quitter, so now that he's started this, he's going to see it through to the end, even if he hates every minute of it. And whatever, as long as his pumpkin still looks at least marginally better than the ones next to his, this will be fine.

He pauses and stealthily glances over at the in-progress pumpkin to his left for comparison.

WHICH HAD NOT LOOK BETTER THAN HIS. ]


bonus - a.

[ Okay, now that that's over and he's got the last of the pumpkin innards out from under his nails, it's time to sit down outside this cafe with his stylish spider face paint and his festive pumpkin latte and get a fucking selfie.

Or it would be if he could get into his phone?? UGH.

He gives in and plays the stupid game, frowning at the screen as he tries to get through it as quickly as possible before the whipped cream on his latte starts to melt into something lopsided and unattractive. ]

Oh, come on.


bonus - b.

[ Uh, well... He picked Treat, because he's not stupid enough to invite someone to play a prank on him, and he got some kind of useless virtual peppermint patty?

And now he's suddenly in this ugly outfit?

??? HE DOESN'T EVEN GET THIS REFERENCE, get him out of these shitty hippie sandals.

He's just... going to try to slink back to his apartment to change without speaking to anyone, because he is well aware of the fact that shorts are not a good look on him, tyvm. But okay, if he runs into anyone else who's inexplicably in a bad costume two weeks before Halloween, he'll assume they're in the same boat, so he'll go ahead and approach them to see if they might have any info on where the clothes he was wearing five minutes ago might be now. ]

I hope you didn't willingly put that on.

[ Always a good way to start a conversation. ]


wildcard.

[ hit me with something else or message me by pm or at kokichi with any ideas! ]

a bonus a is the best kind of a, tbh

[ascatic]

... you having phone trouble?

[ he's innocently looking over the man's shoulder, staring at the phone and the game, and not really regarding the sad-looking latte left untouched while Rugievit works on trying not to suck at it. ]

Oh. A game? You could probably just stop playing, right?

[ he hasn't checked his own, so /shrug. ]

apollo justice // ace attorney

[justchords]

(workshop comment! apollo is a 22 year old law student, tired, pretty independent, but really wants friends!! hit me up.)

(ii.)

(apollo, despite his usual serious demeanor, is actually a fan of haunted houses. nothing helps someone unwind more than a good old fashioned scare. at least, in apollo's book. he's bouncing on his feet in excitement as he enters, turning every which way to take in all the horrifying decorations. the way he's inspecting everything, it's as though he's trying to get scared. and he is.

eventually, he comes upon one of the aforementioned hallways of mirrors. taking a moment to laugh at his own appearance in the reflections, he then notices the walls beginning to close in on him. and while apollo may be young and small, he's certainly not the most fit person around. scrambling to make it to the end of the hall as the smile falls from his face. he unfortunately trips over his own feet, falling to the floor and taking a few seconds to appraise the situation... before accepting his inevitable defeat and really hoping someone sues the shit out of this place.

it's not until the walls stop and the trap door opens and apollo screams the entire way down, loudly and defeaning (and really quite terrified for his life) that he realizes it was all just part of the haunted house. once he lands flat on his face in the basement area of the house, pushing himself up as he brushes dusts off and mutters curses under his breath.) There has got to be something illegal about this, and I'm going to have a stern talk with whoever's in charge when I get out of here.

(iii.)

(apollo justice does not believe in ghosts. ghosts have nothing concrete to back up their existence, nothing solid, all conjecture and circumstantial evidence at best. and that's being generous. he certainly does a double take at the first "sighting" of one, seeming to have materialized out of nowhere into his field of vision. so he does what any sensible human being would do.

he walks off campus and ignores the ghost outright. he's probably just tired, the light is playing tricks on his eyes, it could be any number of things! GHOSTS. ARE NOT. REAL. anyone unlucky enough to be passing by apollo will hear him mumbling this to himself over and over. "objection, ghosts are not real". like a mantra to help keep himself sane.

he reaches for his phone in his pants pocket, just looking for something to distract him from the small little section of chaos he's found himself in. but then something is wrong. something is very wrong. he pats down every possible pocket on his person before whipping around, staring down the street and glaring at the spirit that's been giving him such a headache.) Hey! You stole my phone, you stupid specter! Get back here!

(of course, yelling and accusing the ghost that's the subject of his misfortune probably isn't the wisest idea. he's setting himself up for a lot of pranks after this.)

(iv.)

(the foggy weather hardly gets apollo down. he enjoys chilly weather, bundling up in a coat and scarf to protect himself from the elements. and a haunted hayride through a particularly spooky forest? sign him up!!

the stories aren't uniquely fascinating to him, more making him roll his eyes at the silliness of it than anything. please, if a crazy woman really did chase her husband off a cliff, she would have been arrested in a heartbeat. it's just ridiculous! he laughs off the stories more than anything, choosing instead to admire the faintly spooky scenery surrounding him and any other passengers.

but then he gets a chill down his spine, and he's certain it's not from the cold. he's far too bundled up, after all. apollo's own name is softly whispered in his ear more than once, causing him to turn around into the forest, and then the person sitting beside him.) Did you hear that?

(barely, just barely, he turns his head to behind the cart, spotting... something. he can't be sure what it is, the outline it too fudged to clearly make out, and at points like this, he'd rather not make eye contact with whatever might be intentionally following the cart. he faces forward, remaining still and forcing himself not to turn around again.) Something's following us. I don't know if... it is friendly or not. We may have to run.

(WILDCARD if you want a different prompt, please let me know! you can contact me at autumnpastries)

iv

[compendiem]

[ It's all part of the ride, Minato tells himself as he spent most of the hayride with his head bowed and staring off the side of the road where the gravel path meets grass, black on black with the foggy, moonless night. Speaking the passengers' names is a clever gimmick (it's just a gimmick, isn't it?), though he can't be certain how the driver or whoever rigged up the cart knows his name, as he'd only moved to the city a couple of weeks ago and the ride had come at no cost or identification needed.

He leans his arms against the side of the cart, glancing over at Apollo just briefly before he returns to his vigil. It can't hurt to humor him. ]

Did it sound like a person or an animal? I don't think I can run much faster than the cart. Or for much longer.

Teobaldo Leonhearts | LiEat

[lienhearts]

[OOC: Theo is an actor living a double life! You can read about it here, but long story short: Kestrel Blade is his acting name, he's been in a lot of films since he was about twelve and is currently playing a major role in a TV drama set in Recollé, "Sky of Birds." Theo Leonhardt is his real name under which he studies finance at Recollé University, and he adopts much plainer attire and is much, much grumpier to folks. Due to canon things all his icons look different so just focus on the expressions!]

II.

[He's going to kill his agent for booking this.

It's some sort of PR deal, the cast of Sky of Birds - who even chose that name, the show's a drama with nothing to do with skies nor birds - attending the festivities and pairing up with other guests, to be filmed for their reactions inside of the haunted house.

The things he does for a paycheck.

Whoever signs up has to also sign a waiver regarding the use of their image for television, but once that's out of the way, they'll find the actor Kestrel Blade smiling cheerfully as he waits for them, hair bleached and toned pure white save for a few red streaks tastefully thrown in. It's long, as usual, tied back in a ponytail that goes all the way to his waist. His clothes are intense, which is also about par for course when it comes to the eccentric, if young actor, but somehow, he makes it work. The drama's been running for a bit shy of a year now, it'll pay to promote it, especially within the city it so blatantly is set in.]

Hey! Think you can stomach what's inside?

[His voice is friendly, laced with just a tiny hint of playful mischievousness. If he's to make a show of this, he is going to make a goddamn show of it.]

III.

[...The fuck was that?

Theo definitely doesn't believe in ghosts. Kestrel Blade might, if it meant an opportunity to lightly tease people or a chance at a conversation starter, but Theo? Nope. Not one bit.

Which is why, after he blinks away the image, he quickly convinces himself it was his imagination. Because really? Ghosts? No. That kind of stuff is the result of movie magic and paranoid minds, and that's not him, not at all.

He's incognito today, dirty blond hair, jeans, a ratty hoodie. Far cry from the clean-cut and stylish Kestrel, but that's always been the point. Two names. Two lives. No need for the two to get mixed up.

...Not that he gets to dwell on that thought for long, because the ghost soon gives him the old hoodie-over-face-drawn-tight trick and now he's fighting to loosen the tension in the cords so he can free himself of it.]

--Hey!

[Please help this loser out.]

ii

[promisedyou]

If I was scared by a haunted house, then you can't call me Sonozaki Mio!

[ She has so much confidence and it shows in her voice and how she presents herself with a puffed out chest. ]

Did you really think I'd be so easily deterred just by that? ☆

Kazuhiko Yukimi | Nabari no Ou

[griper]

(Workshop! TL;DR: still manages to be a grumpy delinquent at 28, possibly some sort of teacher but runs a weird blog about food and cats no matter what his actual career is... If you're interested in plotting anything, don't hesitate to comment to that workshop thread or PM this journal.)

ii.

[He's already done the whole deal with the house and the tricks and the terror, or however you want to frame it for yourself. Yukimi is not particularly inclined to frame his own self as terrified. But, at the end of the house's endeavors in haunting, Yukimi is not particularly inclined to do anything.

It's hard to tell how long he's been lying in this pile of stupid skeletons. He's almost lounging. He almost looks comfortable and content. It's worryingly possible that he actually pushed these plastic skeletons together in order to have a place to hang out. Anyone who slides down into the room will find him reclining, chewing gum, and giving a belated, slow-motion glance over to his new company. Whatever such a person says, exclaims, or asks, upon unwilling entry into this underground room, Yukimi only answers, lazily,] You're tellin' me. [It might not even make sense given the context, but he flicks at a skeleton's hand and gives a stubborn, unmannerly sniff.]


iii.

For real?

[Yukimi says it like he's demanding something of someone, although there's nobody from whom he can directly demand anything. Nobody to blame for his distress. Nobody he can look in the face and antagonize. Instead, he's searching his own person, patting down his body with his only available hand—his right arm stops just above where an elbow would be, and with it, he's holding a few manila folders pinched tight between his upper arm and his body.

When neither his jacket nor his pockets produce desirable results, Yukimi starts squinting around at all nearby sidewalk.] You gotta be kiddin' me, [he mumbles, peevish and impatient. Finally he understands that he can't undertake this task all by himself: he demands eye contact with someone unluckily close.]

You seen a keychain? It's vinyl, already kinda scuffed, but don't think it's trash if you see it. It has to be right around here. [He pauses, before heaping on more of that impatience:] Little black cat. [As if it should be obvious what shape his keychain is.]


bonus.

[More manila folders. Or maybe the same ones? It could just be he frequently walks around with these. Either way, he's going to need some new ones; the three he has in his hand right now are splattered with grimy water. Maybe not completely drenched, but there's no salvaging them with the amount of dirt kicked up from the gutter. Yukimi himself isn't looking too crisp, either, having taken a spray of fine mud arced across his body from an overzealous driver.

Of course, Yukimi is plenty overzealous himself. He's pretty loud:]

Thanks, asshole! Thanks a bunch, you freaking lead-footed moron! Dumbass! Good one!

[The driver is a couple blocks away by now.]


other.

[embed: jennifer10_19_49837]

You ever know a cat who loves instant ramen? It's become a problem. Jennifer doesn't even need fish cake or good stock to start trying to choke down my noodles. I don't know if it's the texture or the sodium, but she goes wild for it, and I end up spending half the time I'm trying to eat just pushing her head away from my bowl. Sometimes I want to give in and let her go ahead, since it makes her so happy and everything, but when all is said and done, it'd be bad news for her little body. Instant ramen has come to mean shutting Jennifer in the bathroom till I'm done with dinner.

Eating ramen out kind of hits you in the wallet, though, at least when you're on a noodle kick and are trying to convince yourself you haven't burned out on pork belly just yet. The physical and emotional labor of trying to keep Jennifer's face out of my food is only barely more desirable than the monetary cost of a heavy bowl of tonkotsu ramen. I've been resigning myself to what I figured was a necessary evil.

And then I poked my head into the best damn ramen place you can ask for when you're someone who carries around a Ziploc bag full of nickels.

[Read more]

(This option available for commenting on his blog post! Jennifer is his extremely photogenic cat.)

ii

[robitussin]

[She happens to slide down facing in such a way that she doesn't see him immediately, and she's a bit tense from the experience. What this means is that when he speaks, she gives a little yelp, hurriedly turning towards him while clutching a plastic skeleton arm in front of herself defensively. As one does.]

What are you...

[There's a brief pause, as she looks over this strange scene.]

...Did you push them together into a pile just so you could lay down?

Al-Azraq (Saif) | Original

[without_eyes]

AU Workshop Comment -- He's kind of a loner, off the radar kind of guy, so definitely looking for just loose friendly connections, nothing too demanding! So please feel free to have seen him around.

---

I. SIDEQUEST FOOL
[ This happens to him more often than he'd really like to admit. He was just walking by, saw an unsupervised little girl struggling to saw through her pumpkin and... Offered to help and somehow got roped into the project at large. He looks ridiculous there amongst the children, a very tall, scruffy man in sunglasses, helping this gaggle of children to saw open pumpkins, doing all the difficult fiddling bits of their designs, telling them, ]

Yes that's... very scary.

[ Someone help him, he peers over his sunglasses with a helpless, pleading look. ]

II. BOO
[ It's been a long time since he was frightened by a haunted house, but he is an insufferable people watcher. He's loitering at the far end of the haunted maze with a coffee, watching as people come out giggling nervously, happy. He smiles to himself.

And with a bolt of mischief, he leans towards one of the passersby and says, ]

Boo.

[ His grin when you turn to confront him is roguish, friendly. ]

III. I AIN'T SCARED OF NO GHOST
[ A cigarette droops from his lips, his hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket. He's staring at the voiceless ghost, thoughtful. He turns his head to speak to another onlooker, ]

What do you think that is?

BONUS. UH???
[ He's frowning at his phone in the bar, trying his best to beat this level of Hallowen Candy Crush. He's failed so many times in a row, he finally turns to the person at the bar next to him, ]

You any good at this?

bonus, ay-o

[slicing]

[ Men like the guy who calls himself Hyperion (and whether that comes from a pretentious reason or not is up for debate) are the sort that come over places like this after a long day. There's a lot of figurative shit he's in charge of cleaning up every day, a lot of reasons to think people are a general waste of his time and anyone's empathy. At best they're useful. If you can trust them, that is.

Being useful can include having a conversation, though, and the more meaningless the better. Being addressed to help out in a game meant to blind out your brain with saturated colors and wacky mechanics might not be the best way to start, but it's a start.

The answer should be all over his stare. ]

Do I look like I would be.

[ Or like he uses a phone at all? Sure, if he needs to text or call his bosses, but other than that... How does I care. ]

[batsthetic]

i.

[ out of every activity here, gerome is lingering by the apple bobbing station the longest. he's not doing anything about it however, simply having a staring contest with the apples floating about on the water. it seems like he's deliberating something... and if you look closely enough, there's a bearded dragon poking its head out of the bag he has slung over his shoulder. ]

What, Minerva? Do you want one?

[ there is absolutely no reaction from said lizard but gerome seems to be communicating with her just fine anyway. he glances from the apples back to her, then marches up to the person running the game. ]

How much for-- I have to play for it? [ the idea is preposterous to him, honestly? why would he stick his face in there? ] I fail to see a reason why we can't settle this matter with money like normal people.

[ gerome, normal people bob for apples... ]

iii.

[ like many others, gerome finds himself tailed by a ghost. it's not even a scary one - more obnoxious and annoying than anything. it tugs on his hair on occasion, then skews his glasses, only to fly out of reach with a cackle when he tries to bat at it. his attempts at verbal assault is ultimately futile... and gerome decides that the best way to get rid of the ghost is to leave the area.

except it doesn't, because now he has a ghost still trailing after him. minerva takes curious chomps at it once in a while, but gets nothing but air. maybe he should have stayed where he was and asked for help? it's too late now... so he's walking up to the first person he sees, snapping. ]

You there. Point me to an exorcist.

wildcard.

[ pm me if you'd like to plot out anything specific! or comment to his au workshop link here ]

iii

[livens]

Ooooh? Are you sure you want to get rid of your ghost friend, though~?

[ hinata, while he has noticed the ghosts now being a thing, is...

apparently just fine with it. WHATEVER. there are ghosts, they mostly seem to be harmless pranksters, he can roll with it. ]

Gerome, you're going to make him cry, you know!